PokeFreedom
by foxworth
Summary: In a world where the bond between humans and Pokemon has been strained near the breaking point, 1 amnesiac Sableye steps up to take back his world for the better. AU. Rating tentative.
1. Chapter 1: New Surroundings

Hello, readers! I've been working mostly on other stories in other categories, but I got writer's block, so I figured I'd make a side project. Hope you all enjoy it! I'm not sure how far I'll take this, so please let me know if you like it and I'll keep it going!

Disclaimer: Those cute cuddly Pokemon? Don't own a single one, or anything to do with them for that matter.

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Chapter 1: New Surroundings

Where…Where am I? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to remember…anything. Where I am, how I got here, it was all a blur.

_Are you OK?_

There was this voice in my head, but who was it? I tried opening my eyes, but all I could see was rock ahead of me. It took a minute, but I realized what the rock was; I was in a cavern of some sort, looking up at the ceiling. There was this draft going through the tunnel, but I couldn't figure out from where.

_Here, let me help you up._

I felt two arms wrapping around me as I was lifted up to my feet. I turned around to find my new helper…only to find something of a shock. My new friend wasn't a person, but some sort of…creature. Whatever it was, it was my height, with a purple colored body encrusted with jewels. Its eyes were giant diamonds; the kind that gleamed when hit by the light, and despite their size they actually…blinked a few times, its purple skin spreading over the diamonds as they sank back into its head. Don't ask me why, but I knew immediately what it was: Sableye. How did I know that?

_You must be new. The humans come through here every now and then, and when they do they light up the whole cave. It can hurt if you're not ready._ I didn't see a mouth on the Sableye, but I understood it nonetheless. It was like telepathy or something. _Where're you from? You don't look like most of us. It's neat._

_What…What are you talking about?_ I jumped: I sounded just like the Sableye. _Wait…hold still._ I grabbed the creature by the shoulders and looked into its eyes. I couldn't believe it: I was a Sableye too! The resemblance wasn't perfect, though: I was taller, about a head taller, and instead of purple I was the sleekest shade of pitch black, the kind you see on a clear night with no moon or stars. My eyes were diamond, but that was the only rock I could see on me: the rest of my body was completely smooth.

_What are you doing?_ The Sableye pulled back, obviously flustered. _You're weird!_ But before I could explain what was happening, a loud growl came from down the tunnel, the end where the light seemed to be coming from. Next thing I knew, the Sableye was running down the hall, completely abandoning me. _Run, run away! Don't let them get you!_

I turned around to find a human standing in front of me, easily twice my height. He was wearing brown cargo pants, a yellow turtle neck, and a weird set of green goggles over his eyes. Beside his head was a huge butterfly (Beautifly? I don't know how I know this, but I do.), flapping its wings, spreading a strange dust that seemed to be the source of the light. The kid brought his left hand up to the side of his goggles, staring at me through them. All the while, weird shapes moved across the goggles' lenses, like a computer screen.

"Huh, Sableye…" His voice was completely emotionless, like he was conducting a business deal. "I've seen them around, but never this kind of specimen. A shining Pokémon, perhaps?" He reached into his pocket and brought out a small round capsule. He threw it to the ground, and it split open in a blast of light, revealing a blue, humanoid creature I somehow knew to be a Riolu. "You know what to do. Iron Tail."

Before I could react, the Riolu smacked me across the face with its tail, the attack smarting enough to earn its namesake. It was enough to knock me to the floor, but I fortunately I didn't go out without a fight. Working mostly on instinct, I jumped back up and slashed at the Riolu, missing but still intimidating enough to send it jumping back. I then felt something tense in my arm, so I tried letting my arm relax. Immediately, a ball of darkness, like something made out of shadows, shot out of my arm and hit Riolu square in the jaw, sending it teetering backwards.

I then turned on my heels and followed the other Sableye's suggestion: I ran like hell. I almost made it away too, except that the Beautifly from before decided to join in the fray. It landed right in front of me, a look of determination in its eyes.

_Sorry about this, but he's the boss. He says you have to go down, so we really don't have much of a choice._

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I could talk to other creatures too? Then I just might have a chance. _Please, I don't know what's going on! Help me!_

The Beautifly simply closed its eyes and spread its wings. _The best I can do is make it hurt less. Just don't fight back, and we'll help you._ As it said this, a green dust sprayed out of the little pores in its wings, showering me with green glitter. I started getting sleepy, and try as I might, I couldn't fight it; I fell to the ground in a heap.

Before I blacked out, I looked behind me to see the kid smirking as he walked closer to me, another capsule in his hand. "So, you've got some fight in you. You might prove useful. And that type combo…definitely worth looking into." He winded his arm back, almost as though he were brandishing a sword. "Welcome to the team, Sableye. We look forward to working with you." He threw the ball at me, and as soon as it hit me the world faded into a flash of red.

* * *

I often look back on that day, wondering how I could have let myself be pray to a human like that. But regardless of what came of it, that incident was the start of my journey, making me the Pokemon I am today. It was only a matter of time before my rise to destiny came, and my world expanded beyond all you could imagine.

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Well, that was fun! I just might continue writing this story… By all means, read and review!


	2. Chapter 2: Getting My Bearings

Well, I figured this story was a nice change of pace, and I've got ideas for it, so why not keep it going? Let me know what you think: R&R!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, in any way, shape, or form.

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Chapter 2: Getting My Bearings

_Hi. Sorry about Beautifly, she's as loyal as they come. Are you still hurt?_

My head stirred as I drifted out of my sleep. I wasn't in the cave anymore, but I was somewhere…different. I was on my back again, staring up at the ceiling, now a solid, smooth blue. I sat up, figuring I'd better take a good look around just in case this became a repeat of last time I woke up on the floor. I was in a small blue room, the ceiling probably just tall enough so as not to bump my head when I stood up. I was sitting on a slab of…something, but that was the only thing resembling furniture in the room; it was just a solid, perfectly cube room, colored a dark blue all around.

_Try not to panic. Most newcomers don't adapt to the Pokeball network very well at first, but you'll get used to it._

I looked behind me to find a small Pokémon sitting on my bedside. She was probably half my height, but she was pretty: a small, white body balancing a proportionally larger green head. A horn was sticking out of her head, and for some reason I felt…calm looking at it. Instinctively, I could tell what she was: a Ralts.

I figured she seemed nice enough, so I tried to make some contact and maybe figure out what was happening. _Pokeball network? I don't understand…What happened?_

The Ralts raised her head to look at me. At least, I think she did; she didn't have any visible eyes, but unlike me she had a mouth. Ironic, I suppose. Strange though, she didn't use her mouth to speak, just used that telepathy stuff from before. _You were captured by our human, Alec. He's a Pokémon trainer; his job is to find Pokémon like us, capture us, and teach us to fight so he can…compete against other trainers._ Her body rose above the bed—a telekinetic too, apparently—and floated across the room to one of the walls. It was then that I noticed; there wasn't a door out of the room. We were trapped.

_Is this some sort of joke? Let me out of here!_ I raised my claws—I guess that's what you would call them now—and prepared another slash.

But before I could make contact, she raised her hand, unleashing these strange, multicolored waves. They never hit me, but instead enveloped her, creating a disorienting mist that messed with my vision. I tried to slash her, but when I brought my hand down, it sliced through nothing but thin air.

_Please don't attack me. I really don't like using the double team, so don't give me a reason to. I'm trying to help you, and I think we could be friends if you wanted. Trust me; you'll need a friend around here. Just watch._ As the mist cleared, I saw the Ralts press her right hand against the wall. As soon as she did, the wall split down the middle, revealing a hallway on the other side. _This place may look like its real, but it's not. The Pokeball network is the energy connecting all six of our Pokeballs together. It lets us communicate and train while we're inside._

I didn't know what to think, so I just said the first thing that came into my head. _…Who are you?_

She looked down, almost seeming ashamed. _I…I don't have one. The humans call me Ralts, but I came from a Pokémon Daycare; I was taken away from my parents before they could name me._ She looked back up, forcing a smile on her face. _Just call me Tella. Everyone else does. What's your name?_

I tried to think. How could she expect me to give her my name when I had no memory of my past? Oh wait, she didn't know that. Well, I had to tell her something…maybe I could just tell her something for now, figure out the rest later. But what name would I like…I was a Sableye, after all… _Uhhhh…Shade. Call me Shade._ Shade…I could get used to a name like that.

Tella, though, seemed a little less convinced. _Shade, huh? Alright, if you say so._ Still, she smiled and drifted out into the hall, towards the left. _C'mon, I'll show you the others._

Well, what could it hurt? I followed her out of the room, anxious to see exactly what I had gotten into. If the rest of this…network was as weird as this, I could be in for just a bit of trouble…

* * *

A half hour later, we were in what Tella called the "common room", a blue circle of a room with six individual hallways branching off to each room. We had been waiting here the whole time, and still no one had shown up. I had been pacing around the edge of the room, trying to find a way to occupy my time, until finally had had to turn to Tella and ask, _Well, where is everyone? Didn't you say there were, what, four others?_

Tella was relaxed with her arms above her head while leaning against a blue reclining chair, one she had apparently called up herself. There seemed to be no limit to what the network could do. _Relax, would you? They'll come out when they're ready. They're not all that sociable, seeing as they can't talk without us there. We Darks and Psychics can use telepathy, so it's our job to interpret amongst the rest._

I turned around, doing a double take at what I had just heard. _What? We've gotta…__babysit__ all of their conversations?_

She leaned forward in her chair. _Don't think of it as babysitting. Think of it as…facilitating. At least they can't try anything behind our backs._ Suddenly, she rose into the air, horn raised like she was trying to sniff the air or something. _They're coming. Well Shade, you got your wish. Here they come._

Right on cue, I heard this pattering noise coming from the hallway behind me. I whipped around to see a face that was way too familiar to ignore. Immediately, I jumped up into the air, surrounding myself in more of that shadow stuff I had discovered before. That stuff was really going to come in handy. _You! What are you doing here?_

_Relax, Shade, Riley's a friend!_ Tella flew between the two of us, throwing up her double team mist as the Riolu, Riley, jumped up to attack me with his tail again. Her mist seemed to have the same effect on Riley as it did on me, because he fell down to the ground in a heap. _Honestly, Riley told me you two didn't start off on the right foot, but you two could at least __try__ not to kill each other!_ She turned to Riley, a feeling of hostility practically radiating from her horn. _Say you're sorry!_

As I drifted back down to the floor, Riley got back on his feet, refusing a hand from Tella. He walked up to me, eyes completely blank, and muttered, _Sorry,_ before running over to the reclining chair. I swear I could hear him literally swallow his pride.

_Don't mind Riley, he's always cold to the newcomers. He'll warm to you, I promise._ Tella drifted back to my side, edging closer to me as she "whispered", _To be honest, I think he's intimidated by you. His is one of the few non-psych-dark type species out there that can talk with other Pokémon like us. In a way, you just muscled in on his territory._ Wonderful. Not one day in this joint, and already I was making enemies. This day could only go up.

Oh, how wrong I was. As Tella was whispering to me, the others had entered the room. They were really weird, all different types, and they looked at me like I was some sort of science experiment.

_Oh…the others have arrived. You'll want to stick with us; they're not quite as nice as me and Riley._ Right…'cause Riley was just so fun and perky. Tella pointed to the one on the left, a swampy looking thing with antennae and this filmy, see through skin. _That's Wooper. The resident sloth. He'll do anything for anyone, depending on who offers him more berries. Pig._ Next up was the center one, a humanoid chicken with insanely beefed up legs. _That one's Combusken, the resident fighter. He's been with Alec since the very beginning, longer than any of us. He'll do anything to win a fight, and he's always gunning for a fight, so I'd steer clear of him if I were you._ And then we came to the last one, an old acquaintance of mine. Real nice fella. _And, well…I guess you've met Beautifly. She's a real witch. She'll try and get close to you, but you show any signs of heresy and she'll turn on you faster than you can pull out those claws of yours. She's an Alec loyalist to the core. They all are. That's why they don't take real names; they just go by what Alec calls them._

It was weird seeing them all stare at me, like I was back in junior high. _Any reason they find me so…engrossing?_

_Oh, it's probably just the fact that you're one of those shining variations._

_What?_

_You're color. Most Sableye aren't that dark a shade of anything, let alone black. Don't you know that?_

I was about to answer, when suddenly there a soft pinging started coming from all around us. I jumped in response, but the others simply walked to the center of the room, as calmly as they would if they were in line for the dentist. I turned to Tella, who was already running into the center with the others.

_C'mon, Shade. That ping means that Alec's calling all of us up for our daily status report. We'll go, he'll lay down the law, and then I'll get you ready for the tournament._

Tournament? This was all too much for me to get a grasp on just yet. All I could do was rush up to join the others, bumping into Combusken, of all Pokémon. He snarled at me, but before anymore could be said a flash of light spread across us, and the common room around us disappeared.

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And we introduce a little conflict! Hope you all liked it, I had a lot of fun writing it. By all means, R&R!


	3. Chapter 3: Law of the Land

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

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Chapter 3: Law of the Land

When the light finally cleared out of my eyes, I looked around to find myself on a beach, watching the sun set on the water. I don't know why, but the sight of the sun sinking into the ocean made me…excited. It was pretty, but even besides that I could feel this anticipation building up inside of me, like I was waiting for whatever happened when it set. That wonderful darkness in the night…

_Shade! Turn around! Alec's calling a meeting!_

Tella's calling snapped me out of my trance, and I turned around to see the other five Pokémon in a semicircle around their—our—trainer. While the others sat around him, he stood up above them, arms crossed and eyes staring at me with an almost hateful expression. Forget the others; this Alec kid was the alpha dog, the one I was going to have to really worry about. I quickly ran up and sat down next to Tella, hoping not to cause too much trouble before I got my bearings.

"Nice of you to join us, Sableye. You'll be expected to join the daily meeting along with everyone else now that you're with us." He looked around, surveying the group. Seeing how docile we had all become in his presence, he smirked and continued on to the meeting. "Alright, first order of business, we have a new member joining our little band: Sableye. I assume you all will get him acquainted with the rules around here, or else…well you all know the consequences for rule-breaking." Tella lowered her head, shaking as she tried he best to avoid Alec's gaze. Obviously, she had crossed him before; I could feel the fear radiating from her entire body.

"Second, as you all know, the results of the tournaments have started showing a trend: namely, we've had the same 'winner' each time. Ralts." He looked down at Tella; was Tella always so beaten down at these meetings? "So, I'm assigning Sableye"—I raised my head in response—"to train her for tomorrow's festivities. Sableye, that means you're in charge of preparing her so she does not 'win' the final position." Something seemed off about this whole tournament thing; Alec kept talking about winning like it was some sort of poison he couldn't wait to spit out. "If she does, I can assure you that I will be reconsidering her place on the team. And we all know what that means. Ralts, this means I expect you to answer any questions Sableye may still have, and to help him acclimate to his new…situation."

It was horrible. Alec just stood over us, lording his supreme power over us while the other remained petrified in fear. I couldn't stand it! I didn't know what this guy could do to me, but I wasn't sticking around to find out. By the time Alec realized anything was amiss, I had grabbed Tella by the hand and jumped out of the circle, running for dear life. As I ran, I tried my best to find a place to hide. The best I could find was a cave on the other side of the beach…that cave! If I could just make it back there, maybe I could…

_Nnnnahhhhhhahhhh!_

I looked back at Tella to find her writhing in pain as waves of electricity weaved their way about her body. I let go of her arm, unable to believe what I was seeing. She dropped to the ground, convulsing as the electric waves grew in intensity.

_Tella! I'm sorry, I…I don't know what I did. How can I help you, how…?_ Suddenly, her body was enveloped in a red light, growing brighter and brighter until finally she disappeared. _Tella?_

Once I realized Tella wasn't coming back, I looked back up at Alec, who started slowly…clapping at my efforts at escape. "Bravo, Sableye. You just killed two birds with one stone: sacrificing the closest thing you seem to have to a friend around here, and demonstrating what happens to traitorous runaways." He lifted his hand, holding a Pokeball—mine—in his hand. "In case you didn't get the idea…" He pressed down the button in the center of the ball, and immediately I threw my head back in pain as the electricity overcame me too, wave after wave of burning energy, making my muscles convulse. I fell to the ground, barely conscious of anything around me. Just before I blacked out, I could just barely hear Alec say, "Riley, take care of those two. And make sure it doesn't happen again."

* * *

God, I hate waking up somewhere other than where I went to sleep! This time, it was in my room again, with Riley standing over me. There was a strange indigo glow coming from his paws, and the glow was moving from his paws and into my chest.

_Ruh…Riley? What're you doing…?_

As soon as he heard my voice, he jumped back, the indigo disappearing completely. Could I have imagined it…?

_You're awake. Good._

I sat up, rubbing the back of my head. Man, that shock hurt! It had settled in the back of my neck, making it tight and sore. I just hoped Tella had gotten off easier… _Riley? Where's Tella?_

He looked behind me, sadness tingeing those big eyes of his. I turned around to see what he was looking at…and I saw Tella, lying on another slab. She looked half dead.

_She woke up about ten minutes ago, babbling something about you. I haven't gotten her to talk since. You try._

I couldn't believe it. Tella had been put through all of this pain…because I was too stupid to know better. I reached over and took her hand, hoping she would respond. Thankfully, she turned her head to look at me, lacking the strength to even lift it off the table.

_Sh—Shade…?_

_I'm so sorry, Tella. I didn't mean for this to happen, I just…_

_Shhhh, it's ok, Shade. There's no way you could have known. You're new._

I put my head down at her hand, trying my best to hold back something resembling tears. Of course, that made me start to laugh as I appreciated the irony of it. Tella turned to me, not understanding what was happening. _Why are you laughing?_

_I'm…I'm trying to hold back tears…from eyes made of rock!_ I couldn't help it anymore; I just burst full out into laughter. _How the heck am I supposed to cry when I've got rocks for eyes?_ Next thing I knew, we were both laughing our heads off; we were just a couple of dummies having a good laugh. It felt so good, laughing that freely; no matter how bad things were outside this room, here things were good. Safe. Perfect.

_You two really are strange, you know that?_ Riley walked over to us and put his hand on my shoulder. That was the kindest thing he had done to me since we'd first met. _Well, I guess we're stuck with each other, huh? Welcome to the family. We're just livin' the life, aren't we?_

We all laughed at that. We just laughed and laughed—until Tella started coughing. The second he heard her cough, Riley pushed me out of the way and started tending to her. I was ok with it, I suppose; he had known her longer, and they had stood by each other through all of this stuff, but I still felt kind of…left out.

Anyway, once Tella had stopped coughing, Riley called me back over. I came over to find Tella floating again, a sure sign that she was feeling better again. She turned to me, a smile on her face.

_So, guess we'd better start training for the tournament, huh?_

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! After all of that, they were still playing this psycho's games? _Are you crazy? Why would you keep doing what he says after what he's done to you?_

Riley and Tella looked at each other, wordlessly debating whether they should tell me. Then, Riley looked back to me and said, _You don't know what he's capable of, Shade. Tella's been in the bottom bracket of the tournament every day for a week now, and each time she gets sent to the front of the line for any of the day's battles. That means she gets pummeled to bits battle after battle…And if she hits the bottom again, she'll get sent to the PC._

_The PC…?_

_It's where he keeps the Pokémon he doesn't want on the team._ I looked over to Tella; she was floating above her slab, knees brought up to her chest in a huddle. _It's like the Pokeball network, but all of the rooms are separated. I went there once, when Alec took me away from the Daycare. It's…it's horrible. It's just you, in that room, all alone, for an eternity…_ Tears started streaming down her face, and I wanted so badly to help her, but she wasn't with us anymore. The way she rock back and forth, how she seemed to address no one in particular when she talked…she was there, in that PC room again. It had really affected her.

So I used the shadows to climb up to her level and hold her in my arms. _It's ok, Tella. I promise, I'm gonna get us out of here._ I looked over at Riley. _I'm gonna get all of us out of here, ok?_

He reached up and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. _Yeah…Yeah, we'll get out of here. We'll be fine. You just wait and see. In the meantime…let's get to work.

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_As always...R&R!


	4. Chapter 4: The Tournament

Well, the ball's rolling! Hope you all enjoy it so far, 'cause now we get into the really serious stuff! No more exposition, just going straight into the action.

Just to clarify, any slashes (/) you may see in the italicized parts mean that several Pokémon are talking at once.

Disclaimer: I may own this story, but the characters (excluding OCs) and the Pokémon brand don't belong to me.

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Chapter 4: The Tournament

By the next day, Tella, Riley and I were all set for the tournament. Anyone who was expecting to beat us in a fight would be very, very sorely mistaken.

_Ok, now, hit me with your best psychic blow._ We were in my room, testing every move we knew to make sure we wouldn't have to worry about accuracy or speed or anything. I watched as Tella raised her horn, gathering all of her green psychic energy on its tip. The energy grew into a long whip and swung in my direction with the force of a giant elephant. The whip didn't hit me, of course—this psychic immunity wasn't too bad, if I may say so myself—but even I flinched as it flew through my stomach and against the nearest wall. Despite what the others seemed to think of her, Tella was incredibly powerful.

_Ok, that's enough for a moment. Let's rest a bit._ I sat next to Tella as she lowered herself down to the floor. _I can see why you keep winning this tournament. You're really good._

She smirked in this weird, sarcastic tone I had never heard from her before and turned away. _That winning comment they make is a sick joke. The "reward" goes to the loser, not the winner. Two Pokémon face off in the common room, and whoever wins the match gets to rest while the loser goes on to the next match. The process goes on until everyone's gone up, and the final loser is declared the "winner"._ She turned back to me, radiating anger along with her twisted snarl. _And the "prize" for "winning"? You get moved to the front of the line for every other battle that happens that day. Doesn't matter how strong you are, or how hard you try to win; you fight until you can't fight anymore, until someone finally knocks you out. _

My heart ached for her as a single tear dripped down her chin. She'd been up on the front line far more than should have been allowed_ I…I'm younger than the rest of the team members, I don't have as much control over my power as the others do. If I push myself too quickly to keep up with them, I just, I…_ She threw herself into my arms, openly bawling at the flood of memories coming at her. What's worse, I could feel the horn on her head emitting all of her pain: pain from every punch, shock, slash, and kick she had ever received on those battlefields. I was completely speechless, so I just wrapped my arms around her and held her close.

_It shouldn't be this way, Tella. You shouldn't have had to suffer through this…this __police state__. Trust me; once we get through this tournament, I'm going to do whatever I find a way to escape. We'll be free, like we were always meant to be. You'll see._

Suddenly, there was a knock on the other side of the wall. The wall split down the middle, revealing a nervous Riley. Tella backed out of my arms and wiped her eyes, but Riley still noticed us together, so he quickly looked down and rubbed the back of neck. _Hey, uhh…Are you guys ok? It's been a while, and it's almost time for lights out..._

_Uh, yeah, yeah, c'mon in._ I stood up and dusted myself off, going into professional mode. _So, just to recap: Tella, you should use your psychic powers for offense while keeping your distance at all times, and Riley, you stick to the Iron Tail, fighting moves won't help much against our competition. Your speed is your greatest edge, so use it._ Don't ask me why, but I'm a great tactician, and apparently these two were in sore need of one. _If all else fails, just keep your distance until they tire out, then hit'em with all you've got._

There was an awkward silence—none of us really had any idea how this was supposed to work yet—so I stood up and walked over to my bed._ Well, good night then._ I plopped down on the slab, letting the Network warp and shape it to form the perfect bedding for me.

The two of them stood up in response and walked over to the wall and into the hallway, waving on the way out. _See ya, Shade. / Good luck tomorrow, Shade!_ The wall closed behind them, and I drifted into a peaceful sleep for the first time since I didn't know when.

* * *

Anyway, the morning came, and all six of the team came out into the common room for breakfast. Apparently, the tournament took place directly after breakfast, so it was best to eat up before the festivities began. Most everyone was munching down on berries, but for some reason…I just didn't have that much of an appetite for them. I tried a few, but they just weren't…satisfying.

_Oh hi! Shade, right?_ Beautifly flew over to me and hung on to me with her stubby arms. Ugh, Tella was right, she was clingy, not to mention incredibly…fake. _So glad you joined us! Sorry about earlier, just following orders. You still hungry?_

I turned around, crouching and holding my stomach. _Well, yeah, but…_

_Oh, that's right, you get the special diet! Alec mentioned it, your food's over there._ She pointed over to the other side of the room, where a pile of stones about the size of my head were lying in a heap. Before I could even prevent it, my instincts kicked in and I ran over to the rocks, grabbing the first one I reached in my claws. I gripped the chunk as hard as I could and pressed into it, smashing it to tiny bits. By now, I had gained a little more composure, and I stopped, took a deep breath, and kneeled down to the bits of stone. I placed one claw on a chunk, and was amazed to feel it sink into my arm. Already I could feel it traveling to my stomach, getting ready for digestion. I had no idea I could even do that; I suppose it has something to do with my Sableye physiology.

_Well…good luck with your meal, I guess. See you later!_ Beautifly gave me this huge grin as she left, but once she got back to Wooper and Combusken I could hear them gossiping as they ate.

_Did you see that? His hand swallowed it whole!_

_Weirdo. This is why we don't associate with cave dwellers; they're just a bunch of freaks._

Well, screw them. I was hungry, and I liked the rocks. Big deal. I finished off the whole pile in pretty much the same fashion, and then walked over to Tella and Riley, who had already finished off their share of the berries and were talking. _So, how soon until the tournament starts?_

Right on cue, the rest of the berries faded away, and a voice—Alec—came over the some unseen speaker in the room. "Good morning. You've had enough time to eat, so let's get the tournament started. You all know the rules; no going into your individual halls, no attacking non-combatants, and no attacking once one combatant has fainted. Decide amongst yourselves who wins, and let me know when you're done. Begin."

A small ramp rose around the edges of the room as all of the furniture in the center sank into the floor. We all moved behind the ramp, Riley, Tella and I sitting next to each other of course, giving the new fighting area plenty of space. That is, we all did, except for Combusken.

_Alright, you know the drill; first up is me_—Wooper and Beautifly cheered for him as he put up a hand for silence, arrogant idiot—_and last tournament's "winner"—Ralts._ Those same hyenas started cackling as Tella floated over the edge of the ramp and into the area. I sighed in relief; Tella against a fighting type? The bird didn't stand a chance.

They faced each other in the area, standing (or in Tella's case floating) on either side. Beautifly flew above the rest of us, and released a sparkly pink dust. _Go!_

Immediately, Combusken jumped and kicked a blast of flames into the air, aimed straight for Tella. She managed to fly out of the way, but just barely. _Aw, poor little Ralts,_ he smirked. _Always running away…_ He jumped up again and again, unleashing several blasts as Tella flew rings around the area to dodge him.

_Stop…stop calling me that…_ Why didn't she fight back? And Beautifly and Wooper...they didn't even bother watching the match, they just turned their backs, waiting for it to be over. My God...is this what Tella goes through in every tournament? Left up for cannon fodder?

_What's the matter, __Ralts__? Afraid I'll burn you again?_ A cruel smile, while hard to see on Combusken's beak, was unmistakably forming in his eyes. What a sadistic creep. _After all, we have so many __fond__ memories of burns past, don't we, Ralts?_

_Shuh-Shut up…Shut up, please…_ She was racing around an inferno pit by now, with Combusken standing in the center of it all like the devil himself. And still, he kept kicking and kicking…most of us had to duck behind the ramp to avoid the blistering heat.

_Remember the last time? You were burned so badly, most of that green hair of yours was on fire…prettiest I'd ever seen it. _He was shouting now, riding the surge of power he got from all of the fire. If this went on any longer, Ralts was going to be a lot worse than just knocked out. I tried to jump into the fray, with Riley in tow behind me, but Beautifly held us back, stronger than I ever thought she would have been. _Poor little Ralts, all alone and crashing in flames, like the little weakling you are._ And he exploded in a nova blast of fire.

_TELLA!_ We both reached out as the entire area was engulfed in the twisting expanse of flames. That was it; just like that Tella was gone.

But…as the flames died down, two shapes became visible through all of the smoke. The first was Combusken, panting on one knee, but obviously ecstatic over his victory. The other, just behind him…was Tella. She had managed to put up a green psychic shield just before the blast, and as she brought it down, there was this…feral rage about her that I had never expected. As happy as she was, in battle she had something of a dark side. _Tella…_

Combusken's head shot up as he spun around to face her. _What?_

_MY NAME IS TELLA!_ And out of her horn shot a single beam of psychic energy, moving forward to pierce Combusken's chest and shoot clean through to the opposite wall. His eyes bulged upon impact, and as soon as the beam faded away he fell to the floor in a heap, finally bested at his own game. The floor parted to swallow him, and when he came back up a moment later he was perfectly healed, albeit exhausted and traumatized by what had just happened.

And through it all, Tella just stood there, a passive face to her at all times. She didn't smile or cheer, or even yell. She simply floated above Combusken's head and said five simple words: _I won. Who's up now?

* * *

_

Woooo, that was intense! I love writing those psycho-babble pieces!

As always, R&R!


	5. Chapter 5: My Turn Now

Well, there's your action! Now I think I'll throw all of my fans (he says arrogantly, knowing that there's no way any more than maybe 3 people who regularly follow me?) for a bit of a loop. Let's see if you like it…

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Period.

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Chapter 5: My Turn Now

After Tella's performance, none of us knew what to think. We stayed completely still, waiting to see what happened next as Tella calmly drifted back to her seat between me and Riley. Her smile had returned, thank goodness. _Thanks for all've you're help, Shade. I don't know if I couldn't have done that without the extra practice._

_Uhhhh…yeah. Yeah, no problem._ I was still in a state of shock; how could someone as soft and sweet as Tella do something like this? There was so much more to her than I had ever expected. _So…why aren't Things 1 and 2 going to check on him?_ Beautifly and Wooper were huddled on the other side of the ring, trembling and taking turns peeking over the ramp to check that Tella had calmed down. I have to say, it was a pretty satisfying picture.

_Oh, that's one of the rules. Next person to enter the ring becomes the next combatant or whatever you call it._ She looked at me with this coy little smile. _So…you want a go? I've already loosened him up for ya._

Well…what could it hurt? No way would anyone remember the rookie's first time out after that scene. So, I hopped over the ramp, plopping down right in front of Combusken. The minute I did, he raised his head, a glint in his eye. _You…You're up next?_

_Yep, I guess so. You ready? Or do you just want to concede now and get it over with?_

Suddenly, he stood up straight, putting aside his act of defenselessness. He was completely healed, in and out; he had been faking the pain. _That won't be necessary._ And he lunged forward, barely missing me with his razor sharp beak.

Luckily, I had seen him coming and jumped up into the air above him, holding myself aloft with a good-sized cloud of shadow. As Combusken turned around to face me, I flew to the far side of the ring, condensing the shadow into several black spheres orbiting me. If he was going to go nova again, I deserved to at least send some of his own medicine back at him, so I started pummeling him from afar with my makeshift missiles.

It didn't matter how good a shot I was, though; Combusken dodged every blast and jumped up to try a flame-coated kick at me. _You think you're smarter than me, don't you?_ I dropped to the floor to dodge him, somersaulting out of reach as he sent a few more shots my way. _I heard you three practicing last night, talking "strategy". Did you really think that would be enough to get past me?_

Ok, no more long range; this guy needed to go down now. When he least expected it, I jumped onto Combusken, slashing away at him as best I could. _I'm not afraid of you. I know exactly what you are._

His eyes widened as he became paralyzed with fear, doing just enough to keep my claws away from his head. He wasn't used to anyone fighting back on a psychological level. _Wh-What?_

_Ohhhh __yes_,_ I know __exactly__ what you are, you coward._ I couldn't stop; I just kept slashing as my mind faded into a strange haze, and stomach began to grumble as its contents shifted in my body. _You're manipulative. You think you can be the best by psyching us out and bullying us while hiding your secret; you feel inferior. Well guess what, you pathetic excuse for a chicken? This is my town now. My town, my world, my rules. So take that!_ I thrust my claws straight into his chest, creating a bright explosion of light as he screamed in pure terror. The light hurt so much, and I couldn't do anything but squeeze my eyes shut and hope that the pain ended soon…

Well, after what seemed like forever, the pain finally receded, and everything became silent. Slowly, I opened my eyes—and jumped back, screaming with horror at what had just happened. Below me, Combusken's chest was riddled with jagged yellow spikes, glowing with an eerie light like something from another world. He was suspended by the spikes, and his back was arched back; he must have been in excruciating pain. The worst part was, he was still conscious. Though I could barely hear him, he was gasping for breath, eyes practically pulled wide by curved yellow rocks. I tried to come close to him, to understand what had happened, when his eyes darted towards me. He was sweating, and his pupils were barely visible he was so afraid…

I couldn't look anymore; I turned, shaking, to the others, who for once had put they're differences aside and come together in a tight huddle. _Who…What did this? Did anyone see?_ They wouldn't answer, they just stared at me like I was some holy terror. _Someone answer me, please!_

Finally, Tella squirmed her way out of the center of the huddle and stumbled out in front of me. She seemed as scared as the rest of them, if not more so, but she held her ground. _Shade…keep your composure. I know you well enough by now to know you don't want to hurt us, but you need to contain that stuff of yours. Ok?_

_What're you talking about? Those spikes aren't me._ I reached out to touch her shoulder—and stopped. My claw…it was coated in the yellow rocks, like some sort of…solid glove. I brought my hand up and tried to flex it, and was surprised to find that I actually could. The yellow stuff shifted and hardened with every movement, like a glove. What was it?

_Tella, what happened?_

She floated back, pulling up from the floor a flat piece of Network matter. _Just…see for yourself._ The Network piece formed a flat oval, one as tall as me, becoming shinier and shiner…until I could see my own reflection. And it terrified me.

My entire body was covered in the yellow glowing rock. My elbows, my knees, every joint was encased in a protective, flexible crystal. But that wasn't all; out of my back had sprouted these large, sharp yellow spikes, like the ones covering Combusken. I looked like a porcupine.

As soon as the shock of it all wore off, I ran around the mirror to find Tella waiting for me. _Do you see now, Shade? You attacked Combusken, and next thing we knew…_

_What is this stuff? I don't understand, what's happening to me?_ I sank to my knees, holding my head in my jewel-encrusted claws. _What…what am I?_

Tella came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder, trying her best to comfort me. _I think I might know. Come with me. You, Riley and I...we have a lot to talk about.

* * *

_

Yeeah, this oughta be fun! To my readers who have read ANL, I know what it looks like, but honestly, this is really going to work out well. Trust me!

As always, R&R!


	6. Chapter 6: The Beginnings of a Plan

Yes, I went there. It's different though, some changes here and there to reflect changes I've noticed. I won't bore you with rehashing old expositions (though brand new expositions we have plenty of), so I'll focus more on other stuff. You'll see, it'll be fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, in any way shape or form.

* * *

Chapter 6: The Beginnings of a Plan

After Tella brought me back to my room, she sealed us off from the others and inspected my new…features. Riley had taken his turn in the ring against Combusken, so it was just the two of us. _Have you ever had these spikes before?_

I faced forward, trying not to turn in case I bumped into Tella by mistake. _No, never. I don't even know what I did to cause it._

_Hmmm…_ She slowly drifted around me to get a better look, taking all of the care of a doctor examining a new patient. _What was going through your mind when they sprouted? What were you thinking? Feeling?_

_What does that have to do with anything?_

_Just answer the question._ She was so cold in her answering, I actually flinched. What was she thinking to make her so…abrupt?

…_Well, I…I was annoyed at Combusken for all of his mind games, and I just wanted him to get a taste of him own medicine. Suffer the way he made you suffer, you know?_

I chuckled a bit, tried my best to lighten the mood, but she wouldn't have any of it. She stopped circling me and just stood in silence with this frown on her face. Whatever this was, she didn't seem to have much of an idea of how to explain it.

But before I could ask for any more information, there was a loud bang in the hall, followed by some loud shouting. It seemed as though Riley's practice session last night had paid off.

_Sorry, Shade, but I've gotta check on Riley, ask for his opinion on things._ Tella came up to me and placed both hands on my shoulders, looking me dead in the eye. _Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine. Just let me try something, ok?_

I nodded yes, and she lowered her head, bringing up all of her psychic energies. They manifested as a green glow on her arms and spread onto me. It felt so…soothing, like water washing over me and taking all of my worries away. I closed my eyes, enjoying this moment of peace after all of the turmoil of the past few hours.

_See? It worked._

I opened my eyes; she was right, whatever she did helped. The yellow rocks had receded, no longer nearly as large as before. Now, the rock only protruded my arms, claws, and chest; everything else had sunken deeply into my skin, and the spikes on my back were completely gone. _I…thank you, Tella._

_Don't mention it. Now you get some rest; I'll go check on Riley._ We went our separate ways, me to my bed and Tella to the wall. She walked out through the wall without another word as I drifted into a much deserved slumber.

* * *

_Should we tell him?_

_I think we have to at this point. I mean, if he used it then, he's probably going to figure out how to use it again._

_But…what if he doesn't agree with what we want to do with it?_

_Have you __met__ Shade? He'll be fine with it, he'll probably have some great ideas on how to do it. Besides, I…trust him._

As I drifted back to waking reality, I heard Tella and Riley whispering in the corner, not wanting me to overhear. I groggily turned my head in their direction to find their backs to me as they continued their little cloak-and-dagger routine.

_It's not a good idea to let him know everything. We only met him yesterday. How can you be so willing to spill all of our plans to him?_

_Because you're forgetting one important thing, Riley; he did on his first try what we've been trying to accomplish for months now. We need him._

_Need me for what?_ I pulled myself out of the bed and stood up just in time to see them whip around in surprise.

_Shade! Wh-What are you doing up?_ Tella was the first to react, predictably trying to deflect any questions. It wasn't going to work though; I had had enough of all of the secrecy.

_I don't need anymore sleep, I just need some answers. What's going on with me? And what's this whole secret plan you two are cooking up?_ They looked at each other sideways, saying nothing. _Well?_

Finally, Riley stepped forward with that trademark scowl of his and took charge of the situation. _Fine, we'll tell you. You're too dangerous to leave in the dark anyway._ He sped forward, grabbed me by my shoulders, and pinned me against the nearest wall. _But if you tell __anyone__ about this, or try and double cross us…don't expect any mercy. Got it?_ I quickly nodded, and he let me go, stepping back and crossing his arms. _Good. Tella, you tell him. You're more…poetic with these things than I am._

Tella stumbled for a bit, fidgeting as she tried to find the right words for it all. Suddenly, she stopped fidgeting, drifted an inch away from me, and grabbed my right hand. She brought it up to her head—and used it to push back the green hair that covered her face. Under the hair were two bright green eyes, shining as the light hit them. Her eyes were so green—too green. The green covered each of her wide eyes, so much so that her pupils were sealed shut. _Tella…are you…?_

She lowered her head and moved back, letting her hair fall back into place. _Yes. I've always been blind, for as long as I can remember. But…_ She smiled just a bit. _…I've needed any help seeing._ She raised her head, a green glow rising out of the horn in her head. _My species is empathic by nature, so when I'm around other Pokémon or humans I can feel what they feel, and the light that the feelings of those others create helps me get a sense of what's around me. It's like echo location with emotions._

Then, she turned to Riley for support, and he came up and took her hand. _I thought I was alone all this time, until I met Riley. When he came to the team, I studied him and realized that even though he couldn't see the different lights like me, he could use them however he liked. Of course, he called them something else; what is it you call them, Riley?_

_Auras. They're called auras._

_That's right, auras. So, I confronted him about it, and together we found that when I touched his mind with my powers, we could manipulate whatever auras we could muster up between the two of us and shape them however we wanted. But…_

Riley took the opportunity to take over for Tella, speaking in his usual blunt manner. _We couldn't do much. A little energy for light and speed, but besides that nothing. We were going to wait until I evolved and got a better hand on the auras, but you can make them…real. And you can do it now._ He stopped for a moment, walked over to the wall, and pressed his ear against the wall. Once he was satisfied that no one was listening, he came back and whispered, _We need to bust out of here. Alec's a monster, you haven't begun to see how bad it gets. And the auras are the key. If we teach you how to use them, will you help us?_

I thought about it for a moment; what choice did I really have? I couldn't stay under this dictator of a human, and these guys were the only ones who seemed to recognized that. Plus, I wanted to know more about these auras; they could prove useful if they're controllable…

_Alright, fine. Teach me. I want to know everything I can. Besides, what are friends for, right?_

Riley seemed a bit stunned by this—he still hadn't exactly warmed to me—but Tella seemed to understand. She looked at me and smiled, letting a little green energy sprout from her body. _Exactly. That's what friends are for. Now let's see what you can really do.

* * *

_

Well, don't say I didn't warn you! Expo, expo, expo. I've got more on the way though, so don't give up just yet!

That being said, if any of you may have suggestions as how to continue this plot line, all suggestions are welcomed. So...as always...R&R!


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